Author Archives: keenosafc

Senior THREE set for Reading return

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imagesTonight Arsenal will look to increase their 11 game undefeated run to 12 in the League Cup against Reading. It will be the usual run out for 2nd strings players, to keep them sharp and match ready. We will also likely see the return of Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud and Carl Jenkinson.

Ramsey has not been seen since the opening day 4-3 defeat against Liverpool. Hobbling off after 61 minutes. The negative nancies moaned that he was rushed back from the European Championship – whilst also moaning that Laurent Koscielny did not play.

His return to full fitness has been slow and calculated. Until yesterday, his drive in the middle of the park has not been missed. So good has Arsenal’s form been since his injury that Arsenal had no need to rush him back. Wenger instead deciding to give him a full pre-season.

Ramsey’s return will be well timed. With Santi Cazorla picking up a late, and not yet disclosed, injury which ruled him out of the Middlesbrough game, it is not fully clear how long he is sidelined for. With tough games against Spurs and Man U coming up, Aaron Ramsey’s extra defensive attributes will be well utilised.

Olivier Giroud is finally set to return from being out with a broken penis toe.

Whilst he is not everyone’s cup of tea, he was missed again Boro at the weekend. His return does give Arsenal a plan B, or an alternative plan A. His strength, aerial ability and hold up play is something that no one else in the squad provides, and he is a welcome return.

It will also be good to finally see Carl Jenkinson make a return in an Arsenal shirt. He might not have the talent to ever be first choice right back, having a player who is Arsenal through and through in the squad is a benefit. And he is good enough to play against 60% of Premier League sides, as he showed for West Ham.

He has not played since January, and it will be good to get him back to full fitness to provide cover for Hector Bellerin. A popular member of the squad, his return will give the side a boost.

Alongside the returning 3, it will be the usual suspects in the other positions.

Cup keeper David Ospina will once again be in goal. Rob Holding and Gabriel will play between Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs at centre back.

Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny will continue in the middle of the park, with Ramsey playing behind Giroud up top. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lucas Perez will be the wide men.

Probably line up:

Ospina
Jenkinson Holding Gabriel Gibbs
Coquelin Elneny
Ox Ramsey Perez
Giroud

Keenos

The 0-0, Tight at the top, Alex Iwobi, Nacho Monreal and Two DMs

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The 0-0

As we discussed yesterday, the weekends result was not a catastrophe. As Manchester City dropped points once more (now 5 games without a win in all competitions), it meant Arsenal did no lose any ground in the title race.

A result like this has been coming. We got lucky against Burnley, and Swansea were well worth a point.

The Premier League is the most competitive league in the world. The top end might not be as superior as the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but no other league in Europe, or the world, has the depth that the Premier League has.

In the current top 10, only 2 sides picked up 3 points at the weekend – Chelsea & Liverpool. Everyone else dropped points.

We will drop more points this season, it is going to be a rollercoaster. It is tight at the top.

Tight at the top

ONE POINT.

That is what separates Manchester City at the top of the league and Tottenham in 5th (unbeaten yet 5th. AHAHAHA). The fact that 4 different sides could have topped the league at points this week, depending on goals scored, shows just how tight it is.

Spurs were the first to miss out, drawing 0-0 at Bournemouth. Arsenal then topped the league by a point after the goalless draw with Middlesbrough. A late consolation goal for WBA was all that stopped Liverpool going top, and then Man City came from behind against Southampton to snatch a point to finish the weekend how they started, top.

With Chelsea’s result over Man U, this league looks to be anyone’s for the taking. Except for Man U’.

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Alex Iwobi

The leagues breakthrough star. If he was English or played for Liverpool or Spurs, the hype around this kid would be ridiculous. Luckily for him he declared for Nigeria and he has at Arsenal. Who the media hate.

He has been superb this season, but he now needs to be taking out of the limelight a bit.

At the weekend, he started off brightly, but quickly faded, to a point where in the 2nd half, he saw barely any of the ball. We were carrying him. For the good of the team, for the good of himself, he needs a little break. Just a couple of games, nothing too much, let him re-charge the batteries, work on his game, and come back stronger.

Arsenal’s biggest weakness is down our left at the moment. And his lack of cover for Nacho Monreal is causing a few problems.

Nacho Monreal

On to Nacho Monreal. He had another poor game, beaten all too easy, time and again, by Adama Traore.

He could do with some help from the aforementioned Alex Iwobi, but the reality is he is getting beat fair to easily in one on ones.

Whilst Iwobi could do a better job tracking back, very rarely this season has Monreal been caught in a 2 on 1 situation on the left hand side. The majority of the time he has been beat, it has been in one on one situations where he has either got too tight and been turned, or not got tight enough and the winger has just pushed the ball past him and ran.

To keep improving as a side, every year your weakest link in the first 11 should be replaced. At the moment the weakest link in Nacho Monreal.

Two DMs

I have seen a lot of chatter since the Boro result about Arsene Wenger deciding to pair Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny together in the middle of the park. Why did we start with two DMs? Was the question continually asked.

Well, Santi Cazorla was injured, Aaron Ramsey also out, and Jack Wilshire currently on loan at Bouremouth. We did not exactly have many other options.

We could have maybe put Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the middle of the park, but that would have been a bit of a risk. The majority of the time in his career he has played on the wing, and when he has been in the middle, it tends to be in the Number 10 role, behind a striker, further up the pitch.

Playing The Ox deeper would have been a risk, especially considering the poor form he has been in.

I think Wenger got the team right. Coquelin held, whilst Elneny got forward.

Elneny is not a pure defensive midfielder. He can play. He can create. He is box to box. He is a good player with exceptional passing.

What the weekend showed is how much influence Santi Cazorla has from deep. His two footedness opens up both sides of the pitch. And his passing – short and long – is superior to Elneny. But it is also superior to Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey & Jack Wilshere.

The team we put out at the weekend should have been good enough to beat Boro, but they defended well, and the Premier League is ultra competitive, shown by only 2 sides in the top 10 winning.

On to Reading.

Keenos

Boring Boro Bring Out Arsenal Boo Boys

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As the final whistle went yesterday, a few boos filtered down from the back of the block. Unhappy fans showing their displeasure over a 0-0 draw against a newly promoted side. 

“At least we didn’t loose” the chap I sit next too uttered to me. “We have just gone top of the league.”
And he was right. As I left the stadium, there was no real excitement on the streets. Mainly disappointment. Despite us being top (at least until Liverpool or Man City play). 

It was a horrible game. 

Arsenal were sloppy, struggling to put together passes, moves continually breaking down. Middlesbrough were resolute. And in Traore on the wing had a bit of threat in attack.


It was a game Arsenal really should win, some will say it’s games like that why we will not win the league. But every team in the league, every season, will draw games against sides that they really should beat.

In the last two weeks, Spurs have drawn away against WBA & Bournemouth, scoring a single goal in the process.

Man City are 4 games without a win in all competition. Including an away draw against semi-professional British side Celtic. 

Boro battled brilliantly and were resolute and organised in defence. Some credit does need to go to them. Every time an Arsenal player was on the ball, there were two opponents on them. They cut out the options.

It shows how small time they are that their fans celebrating a 0-0 draw like they had won the league. Parking the bus. Well done lads. A 7 hour round trip for a bore draw. 

It was a game for Olivier Giroud. We missed him. In the last 20 minutes, with Boro getting deeper and deeper, we needed to start slinging the ball into the box. But with a bunch of midgets up top, it was simply not an option.

Sometimes when the pretty play does not work, you need the battering ram that Giroud is. His strength and power causes problems in the middle of the box. He creates space for others. 

It sums up the fans that I had one bloke near me screaming for our centre backs to pump the ball into the box. Whilst others moaned that we were not keeping the ball on the floor enough. 

In the grand scheme of things, it is two points dropped rather than a point gained. But no need to get the boos and banners out. 

After all, we are top the league. 

Keenos